Potato digger



P. RASM USSEN.

POTATO DIGGER.

APPLICATION FILED IUIIE 5. I9I5.

, Patented Sept. 9,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- F6666)? fiszrzussezz srArEs PATENT; orirron EB' iesifiis m meb t ise a T0 MARTIN J. RASMUSSEN AND oNEroUntrHToWILLIAMJ.Rasmussen, Born or POTATO-DIGGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-Sept. e; 1919..

Application filed June 5, 1915." seriaiivd. 32,293.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Pnrhn Rasmussen, a citizenof' theUnitedStates ofAmerica, and a resident of Webster Groves in the county of St. LouisandState of Missouri, have invented" certain new and useful Iinprovementsin Potato-Diggers, of which the following a specification.

The primary object of this invention is to protide improved agitatingmeans con motion with the spreading or shaking prongs of a potatodigger;

Another object is to provide the shovel of a potato diggerwith improvedcasting oif blades for"throwing, which are adapted to throw the sides ofa hill or potato row to one side.

Another object i'sto providea potato digger with an improved centershare or row splitter.

Other and further objects will appear in the specification, and bespecifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings eXem plifying the invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of this improved potato digger.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, parts of the beams and all of the upperstructure being broken away.

Fi 41 is a longitudinal section taken on the line IVIV, Fig. 2. i

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line VV, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation, parts of the beams and upper structure notshown.

Referring to the drawings: 1 designates the handles, which are securedat one end to the side beams 2, the lower ends of said beams beingsecured at 3 to the shovel 4. Secured to said shovel at 5 is a centralsupport 6', which is adapted to hold the digger in an upright position.The shovel 4 has a depressed, or dish-shaped, central portion 7,

Extending rearwardly from sa1d shovel, on each side thereof, is acastingpfi blade' 8. Located between said blades is a prong supportingframe 9, said frame supportinga series of spreadin or shaking prongs 10.This frame comprises an upper cross member 11, and a lower cross member@aid, member 1% has a pintle 143 formed at each end, each of saidpintles being swingihgly mounted in the lower endof the beams 2.

As shown more clearly 111 Fig. 5 these prongs 10 are constructed inpairs, therefbeing a return band 14.- formed on each pair of proiigs.Said bent portion of each pair is mounted betweeiithe cross members 11and there being a bolt or rivet 15 for holding each'pair' ofprongsinposition. Said bolts also clamp said cross members andprongs together.Centrally located between the middlesetsof prongs 10*is acentral share16, the lower end of said share also being feecured betweentheemssmembers 11 and 12.

Horizontally arranged and secured to the 1;'.1iderside of the crossmember 12 isa U franie 17L Transversely and horizontally supported insaid frame is a revolubly mountedshaft 18. Secured tosaid shaft,intermediate of its ends, is an agitating member 19, in the formof astar wheel; seemed to each side frame QOlOf the U1- framelr is aflatspreading prongfll; Each of said prongs is flared outwardly and upwardly adj acentits rear end.

From the aforesaid description, it is readily seen that the prongs 10,center share 16, U-frame 17, and agitating member 19 are secured to thecross members 11 and 12, said cross member 12 being swingingly securedto the beams 52 by the pintles 13. With this arrangement, all of theaforesaid parts Will have a swinging movement relative to the shovel 4:.

In the operation of this improved digger,

ger is moved therealong, the central portion of the potato row will befed by the central dish-shaped portion 7 of said shovel onto theinclined prongs 10, whereas, the'sides of the potato hills or row willbe engaged against the casting-ofl' blades 8. Therefore, such portionsof the row that engage said casting-off blades will be thrown aside andnot carried upwardly on the prongs 10. These blades, therefore, operatefor deflecting the superfluous dirt that is not required to be scatteredduring the potato digging operation.

, As the central portion of=the potato row is mounting up theinclinedprongs 10, the center share 16, whiclfisisa anged longtwillsplit and divide the row, thereby casting an approximately equal portionof the earth on each side of the center share. As the digger is movedalong, the blades 22 of the agitating member 19 will stick in the earth.As said member is revolved from contact with the earth, said blades willserve as lifting members, thereby elevating the U-frame 17, as Well asthe shaking prongs 10, which action will agitate the earth from thepotato row that is on said prongs, thereby scattering the earth anddisclosing the potatoes.

What I claim is:

1. In a potato digger, a forwardly arranged shovel, a turnablymountedsupporting frame located to the rear of said shovel, a plurality ofupwardly and rearwardly inclining prongs carried by said frame, a pairof side members extending from said frame arranged beneath said prongsand providing a support for a shaft mounted therebetween, and, arevolving agitating member having a plurality of ground engaging prongsmounted on said shaft.

2. A potato digger comprising a forwardly arranged shovel, a turnableframe mounted to the rear of said shovel composed vof va pair oftransversely arranged cross members, a plurality of U-shaped prongsclamped between said members inclining upwardly and extending rearwardlytherefrom, an agitating member support extending rearwardly from saidframe, revolubly supporting an agitating member, said agitating membercarrying a plurality of ground engaging prongs so that said supportingframe and prongs extending therefrom will be given an upward anddownward movement as said agitating member is revolved.

3. In a potato digger, a shovel, an inclined earth receiving memberswingingly connected to said shovel, a revolubly mounted agitatingmember carried by said earth receiving member, prongs secured to saidearth receiving member arranged above said agitating member, saidagitating member having ground engaging projections formed thereon, saidagitating member when revolved adapted to swing said earth receivingmember.

4. In a potato digger, a shovel, an earth receiving member comprising aplurality of upwardly inclined prongs swingingly connected to saidshovel, an axis carried by said earth receiving member, a revolubleagitating member mounted on said axis having ground engaging projectingportions located beneath said prongs of said earth receiving member,said projecting portions of said agitating member adapted to engage theground when the potato digger is moved, said projecting portions adaptedto elevate and lower said axis, thereby causing said earth receivingmember to be agitated.

PETER RASMUSSEN.

In the presence of M. J. R'ASMUSSEN, H. G. FLETCHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

